Breaking the Language Barrier with Rhythm!

Our team had fun again this year at the church in Horia with the young people showing them what fun you can have with empty plastic cups!  Then the team taught some of them how to play!  We hope you enjoy the rhythm and singing.

This first video is of the team "performing".

This second video is of the team teaching some of the young folks the basics.

Back in the United States!

The Romanian Missions Team 2014 Made it home safe and sound.  Mission accomplished and God was very evident in our travels.

We want to thank all of you who have prayed for us and encouraged us for that last several months! We will post a few more video clips and some more photos before we wrap this blog up.  So, keep an eye out over the next few days!

Praise the Lord for His great work and His encouraging people all over the world!

How Great is Our God with Romanian help!

This was a very neat moment on our last night!  The team sang How Great is Our God and a wonderful young lady that has been translating for us, Denisa, sang with them in Romanian.  It is just impossible to describe the experience of worshiping the same God, at the same time, in two different languages.  It was truly GREAT!

There was a little buzzing with one of the microphones for a short time but it is worth listening to anyway!

We Are Your Church - Last Night of Singing

On Sunday our team had the privilege of singing and speaking in two churches.  One was a village church we visited last year and it was truly a joy to see the friends we had made last year!  Then in the evening we said our goodbyes to Betel Baptist here in Arad where we have been staying.  It is always so hard to say goodbye.

Here is one of the songs we did in both churches: We are Your Church by Rend Collective Experiment.

Are We Willing to Die for Christ?

We had a really good conversation while on the road.  This conversation inspired two of our team members to share some of what God had just done and was currently doing in their lives.  Listen as Stephanie and Matthew share at Motru Christain Church.

                                          

Travel Pictures

We have traveled to many places and spoken in two church, with one more tomorrow.  We have seen beautiful countryside, wonderful castles, hot springs, rivers, mountains and woods.  But the best part has been connecting with some truly wonderful people.

Here are a few of the sights from our travels.

Oliver in his cabin in Baile Herculane

Sarah, Rachel and Alaina in the river at Baile Herculane

River at Bale Herculane

Our team of photographers

Walking the 1 1/2 miles to dinner

Trip to the Danube 

View from the boat

Monastery on Danube

Feeling the Danube

Team with Romania in the background

Team with Serbia in the background

Church in Motru

Visiting a family in Motru and having dinner

Visiting childhood home of Nicolae Ceaușescu (former communist dictator)

Listening to talk about Nicolae Ceaușescu

Driving through the mountain valleys 

Cows on the steep hillside 

Team photo from the valley

Visited the Bran Castle (Dracula legend castle)

Walking up to the Bran Castle

View from one of the lookout windows

The not so secret staircase

The courtyard 

The view from inside

The guys (Oliver, David, and Matthew)

Some of the girls (Sarah, Stephanie, Alaina, Rachel, Elissa)

Visiting the Peles Castle

View as we walked up

Entrance into Castle

Group photo inside

On The Road Again!

We have been traveling since Monday morning and have visited two churches while on the road so far.  Here another example of our testimony time in the churches prior to leaving the Arad district.

This is Alaina at Golgota Baptist Church.

Oliver Alexander's Watermelon Story

As part of our team ministry we are sharing in a number of churches.   We have shared five times so far in four different churches.  We begin our traveling tomorrow morning and would appreciate your prayers for safety!

Here is an example of what we do each night.  This is Oliver!  He is, by far, the funniest of the team members!  He keeps us laughing.  Even though he has a serious side too!  His translator is one of the pastors we are traveling with: Cristian Zaharia.  Do take the time to watch this.  You won't be sorry!

(I can only upload Wi Fi quality video from this location.  So I apologize for the grainy video)

Lord, I Need You - Second Church Meeting

Last night we visited some friends from last year at a church about 15 kilometers from where we are staying.  It was good to see familiar faces.  The team sang a few songs, but I will only post one!   Lord, I Need You!  

Tonight we are off to another village church.  This one is farther away!  I will post some of the teams testimonies tomorrow.  

Visiting the Children's Center

We had a neat opportunity to visit A Child's Dream in Arad.  This is a children's center that strives to keep children at risk off the streets and help them get the most out of their education.  It helps those with ambition to achieve their goals for employment as well as education and training.  Our team had a great time playing with the children!

Ping Pong Pastime

Here is the teams new pastime! When we aren't singing or speaking, or eating we seem to find ourselves playing ping pong!

How Deep the Father's Love - Last Song of the Night

Here is the last song of the night!  

Two of the song team were not in this one.

In Christ Alone by Trinity Romanian Missions Team 2014

Here is the second song that the team sang tonight! Enjoy!!

First Night of Singing and Testimonies

This is the first song our team learned in Romanian.  It is the first song we sang on this trip!  We had a nice "family reunion" of sorts tonight.  We were reunited with some dear Romanian friends and are making some new ones!  We all shared a little testimony, the team sang three songs, and David preached.  Now there is a serious game of ping pong taking place!

Piata in the Rain

Here a few quick photos of our trip to a piata in Arad and one of Pastor Cristian and his wife Alina.  The singing and speaking begins tonight right here at Betel Baptist! 

Pastor Cristian and Alina Zaharia

Produce in the Piata

Team in the floral section

Pastor John getting strawberries for dessert!

One of the many produce isles

More produce

Rain?  What rain?

Many isles of beautiful flowers

Beautiful Lily

Rachel experimenting with hats

Safe in Romania!

 Just a few traveling photos!  We have arrived safely in Romania.  We are recovering today and will begin speaking and singing in churches tomorrow. And that is what we will be doing for the next 13 days!  Please pray for the people God will bring us in contact with.  Pray that we will have wisdom, love, and compassion.

More photos and update to come!  Thanks for praying!

The Beauty of Music

Matthew Walker

Music is something the Lord really used through the team last year in Romania.  The beauty of music is that it doesn't matter what language the song is in!  You can simply recognize the tune and sing along.  Whether we were singing along to a hymn in English while the rest of the church sang in their native language, or whether the team was introducing some different praise songs, music was an important part of our ministry.  

Unlike last year, we will have different instrumentation for our times of singing as we travel this year; from a guitar and mandolin to a simple box drum.  And as I work up our different set lists I am excited to see how the Lord will use our music again in 2014. 

(Read more about our team members.)

Where Will We Be In Romania?

We will travel to several cities while in Romania!  We will fly into Budapest, Hungary (which is not circled but is near the upper left corner of the map).  We will spend several days in Arad, then we will travel for six days speaking in Sibiu, Brasov, Bucuresti, Ploiesti, and Targu Jiu.

As we travel, when we have an internet connection, we will post updates on where we are and what is happening.  We just wanted to give you a quick overview in the form of a map.

We are looking forward to all the new friends we will meet and the opportunities God is going to give us to share His love, grace, power and might to change lives and bring hope and joy!

Wholeheartedly Excited About This Trip!

Amy Edmonston

As the prospect of adventure approaches there is a natural mixture of excitement and fear.  Obviously, I am very excited to be going back to a country that I have such wonderful memories of.  A year ago I was blessed and challenged in ways I never imagined by my time in Romania.  

In anticipating this return trip, however, there is a certain amount of fear.  How can this years trip possibly live up t last year's experience?  but that is where the problem lies; it won't. The two weeks that we will be in Romania will be entirely different from anything I can remember or can anticipate.  

God has obviously brought this team together and led us to make this commitment.  when I look at that, I can put aside any naggings I may have and say I am wholeheartedly excited about this trip.  I know it will result in furthering my trust and sense of wonder in the God I strive to serve.

Embarking On This Journey With Us!

Stephanie Eubank

I can echo Sarah and say that I am so excited about our trip to Romania!  I have not been to Romania before, and I can't wait to begin the adventure!  God has already provided my needed funds for the trip, and I'm so thankful to "fellow workers of the truth" who have given so generously.  God is faithful to provide!  

I pray that God would prepare our team to encourage our brothers and sisters in Romania and that God would work in us as well as through us.

Thank you all for your prayers!  You are embarking on this journey with us through your prayers and support.

My Hope and Prayer

David Edmonston

I'm getting excited about this trip to Romania.  I haven't spent any significant time in another country since 1982, so this trip almost feels like a brand new experience for me!  I'm looking forward to seeing the sights and the countryside.  Also, everyone who goes on a missions trip comes back talking about how much they were blessed.  Of course, I hope that happens.  

But what I really am excited about is meeting and talking with the Romanian people.  My biggest hope and prayer is that by sharing God's word and how He has worked in our lives, the team will be an encouragement and blessing to the people of Romania.

Fully Funded!

Romanian Flag

Thanks to the generous gifts of many people and the great help we have received at various fundraisers the Romania Missions Trip 2014 is fully funded!  We are very excited to be able to focus completely on the mission itself.  Our team will depart from Washington Dulles International Airport in exactly four weeks!

We aren't sure what our exact itinerary is yet, but we do know we will be doing a lot of traveling.  In light of this, we would appreciate your prayers for safety in travel throughout our trip and that the vehicles will function properly.

Thanks again to all of you who have been praying and who have generously contributed to this trip!

Romania

Elissa Kruse

Romania.  A word that fills me with excitement but also a bit of apprehension.  Excitement, as this will be my first international missions trip, and my first time out of the country.  I will be with good friends and will also get to make some new friends as well.  

However, there is also a tiny bit of apprehension, fear, worry.  I've never been outside the country before and I don't speak Romanian (thought I am trying to learn a little).  There are so many details and "what if's".

Yet the LORD lovingly reminds me that He has the master plan and that all the details are under His control.  I can't wait to see all that God has in store for our team and all those we will meet there in Romania!